Leaves in the Sand
by K Sora
Summary: What happens when emotions are mixed and signals are crossed? Can misunderstandings be over come? And will a love that’s been on hold finally have a chance to grow? Naru/Tem Kanku/Saku Mature themes, including Lemons, readers be warned.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any part of Naruto. I do not make a profit writing this, this is just to entertain :D**

"…will be here within the next 3 days."

Snapping back into the conversation, Temari looked across the desk to stare at her younger brother with a somewhat blank look on her face.

"I expect both of you to greet them and treat them accordingly. They'll be staying for 3 months initially, and if it goes well will stay longer." Gaara droned in his monotone deep voice.

Kankuro groaned from the seat next to her, "You want us to babysit them? Can't you give us a more serious mission?"

"You will do this mission; they are our allies and need to be treated with the highest respect." Came the calm reply.

"Well who is it anyway? And how many ambassadors does Konoha need to send?" Resigned to his fate Kankuro slouched down farther in his seat.

"Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

With a laugh Kankuro bounced to an upright position in his seat, "Why didn't you say that sooner? I've been looking for a reason to get to Konoha and see Sakura for week."

There was a slight gleam in his eye when Gaara responded, "I figured you would appreciate that, which is why she was requested."

Grinning from ear to ear Kankuro stood, "I knew there was a reason they made you Kazekage."

"Mmm. You may think of this as an extended visit with your girlfriend, but remember that she is here in a diplomatic capacity first," Gaara warned with a look to his brother. "There is a scroll with information about what their duties will be waiting for you outside."

With a snappy salute Kankuro strapped his puppet to his back while heading for the door.

"Now that he's been made happy, you can tell me what has had you so distracted and quiet lately." Looking up from the paper he had just signed Gaara stared straight into his sisters face.

_So much for hiding things_

Sighing softly Temari turned slightly to look out the window at the setting sun.

_Should I tell him what I've been feeling lately?_

Making a decision she said, "I don't know. I can't seem to focus for long lately. I couldn't tell you why."

"This is why I put you both on escort detail. Use this time to figure it out. I won't send you out of the village on missions this way. The only thing I ask in return is that you at least keep Kankuro marginally in line too."

Smirking softly Temari nodded, "I'll do my best."

"Good. Now get out of here so I can get back to this nonsense that the counsel seems to think I give a shit about." With a somewhat put out look Gaara shifted pages around.

Chuckling softly at the almost pouty look on his face Temari left the office, grabbing her information scroll on the way out before making her way down to the village.

~O~

Deciding a walk would do her some good Temari slowly made her way from the Kazekage's office.

She hadn't been completely honest with her brother, even though it still hit her at odd moments that she could even _have_ a remotely personal conversation with him.

With a slight shake of her head at how far things had come from their younger days Temari's thoughts shifted to just what had her acting far beyond the norm.

Over the last several weeks, months really, she seemed to be more restless and…..on edge. Not so much that she felt something bad would happen. No now that the hidden villages were rid of Akatsuki things were generally much calmer.

It was more of a sense that she got that change was coming, and try as she might, if that change would be a good or bad thing was beyond her understanding. One thing was curtain; she knew it had to do with her feelings. More specifically, her feelings for a fellow blond that was making his way towards her village even now.

Huffing slightly at the riot of emotions just the thought brought her, Temari found that her wandering had brought her to an elevated park that overlooked the market. Deciding that it was as good a place as any to think Temari sat, watching the activity down below her.

Observing the way the civilians bustled about making their purchases, she thought back to try and trace just when things began to change.

~O~

(flashback)

"The one thing I can say about being the go between for my brother and the Hokage, it has me in better shape than I've been in months," Temari puffed as she sprinted the final miles left on her latest journey from her home to their ally.

_I really hope that there are at least a couple people here to get some drinks with and relax for a while. _

Wanting to know as soon as possible if there would be any celebrations tonight, Temari pumped chakra into her legs to gain more speed. Upon reaching the huge gates of Konoha, she handed over her paperwork for verification.

"What is it with villages and formalities?" Temari asked the now familiar guard, "You'd think I wasn't just here 2 months ago with the way papers have to be checked."

Smirking somewhat at the mild annoyance he could hear in the tone, the guard accepted the papers, "Ah, you know how it is with the elders, traditions traditions traditions."

Temari grinned wide at that and shifted to lean on against the wall to wait out the formalities. Before she could get comfortable though there was a shout from behind her.

"Temari!"

Glancing back she was dumbfounded to see a smiling and waving Naruto making his way towards her. But not just any Naruto, this one was almost unrecognizable when compared to the Naruto from her teenage years.

Gone was almost any trace of orange, although lines of the bright color could be seen going down the arms of his jacket. Somewhat loose fitting pants covered his legs, just tight enough to tell that they were well developed. The jacket flapped open to reveal a form fitting black shirt that gave her pause.

_This is Naruto? _Her surprised mind asked.

In the time that she had been observing him…well…ogling him was a better term, Naruto had reached her followed closely by Sakura and Sai.

"Hey Temari-chan! On official business I take it?" With a cheerful grin, Naruto stood before her with his hands in his pockets.

It was enough to snap her out of her daze and she quickly said her hellos. "Hai, I'm here to pass along some info. I was actually hoping to see some of you guys here, it seems the last couple years we've just kept managing to miss each other."

Even more enthused to be home again with the prospect of catching up with a long missed friend, Sakura said brightly, "Hey yeah, I think a lot of us are home in the next few days. It would be great to have a couple nights to hang with the group."

"That sounds like the best plan I've heard in a while. So hey I guess you gotta head to the tower. We'll come with you since we have to turn in our reports." Naruto said as he checked in with the guard at the gate.

Looking up after being handed her papers Temari stared into the bright face, "Sounds good."

They made their way to the tower, Naruto and Sai bantered back and forth good naturedly about the mission they had just been on as Sakura filled Temari in on some of what had been happening in the village.

"Well since the bottomless pit that is Naruto can usually be found at the ramen stand, a lot of the guys have been meeting up there and surprise of surprise Chouji hit it off very well with Ayame, the daughter of the owner," Sakura crinkled her nose at Naruto when he looked at her with a mock glare for her comment.

"Wait, isn't she a year or two older than me?" Temari asked in wonder. She herself was 3 years older than the ninja around her.

"It would seem that Chouji enjoys the company of older women," Sai pointed out in his monotone voice, although there was a slight gleam in his eyes.

With an exasperated sigh Sakura rolled her eyes, "No matter the age difference, they're rather adorable together."

Temari swung her arm to link it with that of her fellow female, "Either way I can't wait to see everyone."

By this time, they had made it to the doors of the office of the Hokage and they greeted Shizune who waved them into the office.

When the doors opened they could hear grumbling from behind the stack of papers sitting on the desk that dominated the room.

Tsunade, upon hearing the door open leaned to the side with a look of relief for the distraction from the paperwork in front of her.

"Oh, good Temari you made it in excellent time as usual. And you three are back a day early."

"Piece of cake Baa-chan," Naruto said with a mile wide grin at the twitch that the title got.

"Brat. Well Temari as you can see I'm more swamped than usual with all this junk so it will take me a bit longer than usual to read and write a response," The Hokage said as she shoved the papers to the side so that she could see the ninja before her without craning her neck.

"There's no rush Hokage-sama, it will give me a chance to relax a bit and see some familiar faces."

"Good, great. Since you three are here you can play escort to the visiting dignitary. Although, Sai a may be able to use you for a solo mission soon."

Sai bowed slightly, "Of course Hokage-sama."

"Right then, break time is over, I need to get as much of this out of here as I can, Shizune hide the damned sake again and I won't get it back until this is mostly cleared. So much for the power of the Hokage," Tsunade frowned at the papers as the young ninja hustled out of the room before laughing.

Once outside Naruto rubbed his hands together, "Alright, we'll all get settled and ready for tonight. Temari you'll be staying at the hotel you guys usually use right?" Receiving the nod he continued, "Ok, Sakura how about you get word out about tonight and see about the where. When we know I can come pick you up Temari and we'll get the party started."

Unable to control it, Temari felt her body heat up with the thought of her fellow blond alone with her at her hotel, even if it was just to pick her up.

Covering with a firm nod of agreement, Temari missed the speculative looks coming her way from two directions.

~later that night~

As she finished getting dress after taking a shower, Temari could not seem to get the changes that the blond had gone through out of her mind.

_He's still his cheerful self, but, he's mature with it. And Kami has he gotten hot._

When the knock came at her hotel door, Temari almost nervously checked her pouch to make sure she had everything then went to answer, opening the door to see the very same hottie that she'd been thinking about.

"Hey! Looks like the place everyone picked is one of the newer lounge type bars that opened up so we should have a lot of fun."

Stepping out and closing the door behind her Temari turned to him, "Thanks. Tonight will be a lot of fun."

As they walked down to street level to begin the trek to the bar they were surrounded by a surprisingly comfortable silence.

Out on the street they walked companionable together for a few minutes before Naruto opened the conversation.

"It's been some time since we've seen each other. How have you been?"

Sliding her right arm behind her to grip the bicep of the left Temari deliberately slowed her steps so they could talk a little longer.

"I've been well. Doing missions, helping in the village where I can, training. You know, the usual."

With a chuckle Naruto stretched his arms up then moved his hands to the back of his head.

"Yeah it's been great to be able to relax. To go on missions without worrying that someone is out there wanting the Kyuubi."

That caught her attention.

Looking up at him, the fact that she _had _to look up to see him astonishing enough, she studied his profile.

"That's surprising." She went on to explain seeing his questioning look, "You never seemed to be worried about them, you always just seemed determined to bring them down. I guess I really just saw you as a fearless person."

Smiling cheekily at her Naruto said, "I am fearless! They only worried me a little."

Chuckling at his antics Temari shook her head and replied, "Come on fearless, let's go get those drinks."

When they reached the gathering spot it was to see that everyone was there and taking up an entire corner of the lounge. Greetings were passed all around as Naruto pulled out a chair for her and they squeezed into a space at the end of one of the tables next to Hinata and Shino. Temari took note of how closely the two sat and catching the shy girl's eye she raised a brow in question. Hinata blushed with a glance at her companion before nodding in confirmation at Temari.

Settling back and a contented sigh Temari let eyes wander around at the people who sat with here. There were Chouji and his "older woman" Ayame sharing some wings, Neji and Tenten sat focused on a discussion with Lee but she noticed the way they brushed hands occasionally.

Glancing around she realized that everyone was a part of a couple….well….almost everyone. Sakura was here alone, although that was due to her other half being in Suna and not that she didn't have one. There was Lee by himself, but then it would be difficult to find someone to match the _very _enthusiastic ninja. And Naruto, well Temari couldn't really remember ever hearing about him being with someone.

She came out of her musing when a glass was pressed into her hand. Taking it she looked up to smile at Naruto, "Thanks. Hey guys this next one is on me."

A cheer went up at that as everyone toasted.

Almost an hour passed with Temari chatting with everyone around her and Naruto in particular. When she felt him tense slightly and lean back in his seat she looked up at him in question. His face had gone blank, very uncharacteristic of him.

"Shika, Ino! About time you two got here." Kiba said, waving the pair over to their corner.

Temari flinched mentally for a moment before turning her head to watch her ex walk up to the table with his arm clasped by Ino.

_Yes this isn't awkward._

Gearing herself up Temari smiled at the pair, "Hey guys long time no see."

Ino shifted slightly from her place beside the lazy ninja, "Temari, it's good to see you. In town for long?"

_Nope. Not at all awkward._

"A couple days. Hello Shikamaru. You're looking well."

Shika dropped into the first available chair he saw, pulling a distracted Ino, who hadn't let go of his arm, with him into the seat beside his. "Yeah you too."

Her duty done, Temari turned back to continue her conversation with Naruto, only to realize that he was deep in discussion with Neji. She frowned slightly when she saw the forced cheer on his face. He had turned himself minutely away from her, not enough to be rude but enough to send a subtle message.

Unsure about what had happened to get such a reaction, or just what she felt about it, Temari turned to join the conversation with Hinata and Sakura.

She missed the quick glanced that Naruto gave before he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something to her, just then he heard Shikamaru's voice and with a shake of his head turned back to Neji.

(end flashback)

Now that she knew he was going to be here for an extended time, she could honestly say that he was the reason for her distracted behavior lately.

The real question was; what was she going to do about it?

~O~

Early in the morning on the second day the message came that two ninja sporting the Konoha symbol were a few miles out of the gate of the village.

Having geared herself up ever since hearing the news, Temari thought she was better prepared to see the man that had her mind so scattered. She set out to find Kankuro so they could wait with the guards at the wall.

Heading down the hall from her room she knocked on the door that lead to Kankuro's and without waiting for a response to her knock opened it.

"Kuro let's go. Naruto and Sakura will be at the gates soon, we need to be there."

"Shit already? Alright I'm coming." He hurried to wrap his puppet after having been cleaning it all morning.

As they made their way through the village Temari asked the question that had been on her mind since the day before.

"Kuro how do you keep up a relationship with Sakura? I mean it can't be easy, you sometimes go a month or more without seeing her."

Kankuro scratched his head while he contemplated his answer. "It's not easy. Actually it's pretty damn hard at times. We've argued several times. More so it's on my part, I mean; she could have any number of guys that would be there. Even if it is another ninja, between missions there's at least that time together. But with me; well I can't just go to her like that."

Frowning in thought, he looked up at the sky. "I guess it's really a matter of knowing that we care enough about each other to try and make it work. And if you repeat this to anyone, I'll know how they found out." He said with a mock glare.

When she didn't laugh or even smirk at his last statement he lifted a brow and watched her closely. "Why do you ask anyway?"

Responding quickly she said, "No real reason. Just curious I guess. Anyway come on, you know they run pretty fast. We need to get to the wall soon."

As he watched her speed up, Kankuro's brows lowered.

_Hmm. I'll have to look into that later. _

With that thought he increased his pace to catch up with his sister.

~O~

They had only been at the gate for 10 minutes when they saw two figures in the distance. When the guard on top of the wall confirmed that it was indeed the delegates Temari took a steadying breath and stood next to her eager brother.

"We've been together for three years now, but I think the next six months will be about the same amount of time that we've been able to spend together in those three years." Kankuro grinned at the prospect.

Temari couldn't help but smile at her brother; he almost seemed like a little boy at Christmas. It was almost surreal the changes that being with Sakura had made in him. He was still the arrogant know it all, but he was much more relaxed….content with his life really. Temari could only hope to have that some day.

In her musing she didn't notice the pair coming closer to where they stood. That is until she heard Sakura shout and run up to her brother.

"Kankuro! I was hoping you'd be here and not on a mission when we arrived." Sakura said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

"You're stuck with me for sure for the next couple weeks, Pink. We get to play host for you and fox boy over there." Kankuro replied before giving her a smacking kiss.

"Yeah, yeah. It's good to see you too. Be careful with them kisses Sakura, you'll end up with paint everywhere." Naruto grinned, extending his hand to shake Kankuro's. He perked up when he saw Temari standing next to the gate.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders by way of greeting, he presented the paperwork to the guard and began making his way through the gate.

"So Temari-chan, how have you been doing? It's been a few months since I saw you in Konoha."

Trying fiercely not to blush at his close proximity she could only say, "I've been good. I was pretty glad to hear that the delegates were familiar faces."

"Yeah Baa-chan thought it would be a good idea for Sakura to work with another hospital and different medic-nins. And she thought I might learn a few things about being a Kage from Gaara." He said with a sparkle in his eye.

"Learn to be a Kage? Does that mean you'll be her successor?" Temari asked with wonder.

"It's not a sure thing, but if I can prove myself to the counsel in the next year or two I very well may."

"Naruto that's great. I know Gaara will help you too." Temari couldn't help but grin with pride for her friend.

By now they'd arrived at the tower and made their way up to see her brother.

Barely bothering to knock Naruto pushed the door to Gaara's office open, ignoring the squawking of the secretary behind him.

"Well that's a good way to start your training." Temari couldn't help but smirk up at her fellow blond.

Looking somewhat sheepish, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe. Guess it's easy to see why I need it huh?" He looked back to see Sakura and Kankuro coming up behind them, shaking their heads over the blonds entrance.

Turning back to face the office, Naruto walked forward and wrapped Gaara in a brotherly bear hug.

"It's good to see you too Naruto." Was all that Gaara said.

After waving the four ninja before him into seats, Gaara sat behind his desk and outlined what their responsibilities would be.

"You will be here officially acting as representatives of the medical and administrative branches of Konoha. You will both have these first two weeks to acclimate yourselves to Suna. After this time Sakura you will begin working with Kimi-san, the director of the medic-nin program in the hospital. Naruto you will begin working with me as an assistant and consultant. I gave my word to Tsunade-dono that I would whip you into shape." There was an amused gleam in his eye as he said this.

Rolling his eyes at yet another reminder of his need to reform Naruto settled back into his seat.

"I have made an apartment available to you both. It's spacious enough for you to be comfortable, even more so since I'm sure one of you will not spend all that much time there."

Kankuro grinned hugely from his seat, reaching over to grab Sakura's hand. She blushed slightly at the thought that the Kazekage knew about her sex life.

Smirking at the reaction, Gaara continued. "Temari, Kankuro please take them to the apartment and help them settle in. There is an official welcoming ceremony and dinner planned for tonight so rest up and be ready at 7 tonight."

With the dismissal the four ninjas stood and bowed before leaving the office and exiting the building.

Once outside they decided to head to the apartment first to drop off the Konoha shinobi's bags and let them get the travel grim off before relaxing and getting ready for tonight.

The building they would be staying in was only a couple blocks away from the tower and they made it there in minutes. Temari and Kankuro stayed in the roomy living room to wait for their two friends to get ready.

Kankuro thoughtfully watched his sister look out the window from his seat on the sofa. When he heard the showers going from down the hall he finally spoke up, "Is he what's had you out of it lately?"

When she turned towards her brother, she caught the knowing look on his face. With a sigh she wandered over to sit across from him. "In a word….yeah. I guess while I was over in Konoha for that last mission is started. It took me until right after Gaara told us about them coming to actually realize it though."

Sitting forward Kankuro replied, "Hey this is great. He's a good guy. But for some reason it seems like you're having trouble with it."

Temari cocked her head to the side, "You've gotten pretty perceptive. When did this happen?" Waving off his scrunched face she listened to make sure the showers were still running. "I can feel any way I want to, but it's something completely different when it comes to how he feels." She thought back to the way her time in Konoha ended, she hadn't seen much of Naruto after the night at the lounge. His greeting and attitude since this morning confusing her even more. It was almost as if those hours hadn't happened at all, but she had the emotions to prove it wasn't a dream.

She made a mental note to get some answers out of the blond the first chance she could.

Not knowing what to say to that Kankuro only nodded, "You know I'm here if you need to talk sis. Just…spare me the intimate details. I really don't need any mental images."

Temari was unable to hold back a chuckle at his mock shudder, but she didn't forget to through a pillow at his head for his remark.


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back! Sorry that this took so long to get out, real life issues popped up and then i couldn't get back in the grove without some serious motivation by my good friend and beta roguefury. she get's some maaaaaaajor props not only for her contribution to this chapter but to the story as a whole. **

**This chapter DOES contain a LEMON. Just as a warning to you guys. I do plan to have a few more later on in the story. Not many though.**

**Anyway, usual disclaimer applies, I don't own Naruto in any way shape or form and I make no profit writing this story. Enjoy~  
**

Temari was not in the best of moods, her stiff stride and tight expression testimony to this fact. Why was she in a bad mood you might ask? Very simple, she had been trying to find a moment to speak to Naruto ever since her talk with Kankuro at the apartment set up for the delegates.

In fact she was still trying.

Now here she was hours' later getting ready to attend what was sure to be a boring dinner with people that she did not even wish to see.

It had been a trying few hours for the blonde. No matter what she tried there was always something preventing her from having time alone with her friend. First they had been together with Kankuro and Sakura getting them settled and then getting lunch. After that Gaara had called them back to his office because the council had wanted to meet with them before the ceremony/dinner. That had taken hours by itself since a few of the council members wanted to hear about what type of training they'd done with the legendary sannin.

By the time they were able to make their escape it was time to get ready for that night. And now here she was walking back towards the apartment after getting dressed for the night, with a headache from listening to council drone on and on with question after question.

The only thing she could look forward to was that as the official hostess to the delegates she would be seated with the pair and not some old nobleman, or worse, a young nobleman thinking to make an alliance with the Kazekage through his sister. Temari didn't think she would have been able to control the urge to drive a kunai through some soft and wandering aristocratic hand.

Coming to the door of the apartment, Temari took a moment to breathe deep and try to calm herself. She knocked on the door, smoothing her hands down her side as she waited for it to be answered.

Kankuro opened the door to let his sister in, "Right on time, Sakura is just finishing up now and then we can head out. She's been muttering about tedious old men since I got here."

Temari couldn't help but crack a smile at that, at least she wasn't the only one put out by the hours spent in frustrated boredom.

"Hey there you are Mari-chan. I thought maybe you'd gone ahead without us."

She glanced up and froze in shock at what was coming down the hall. It was Naruto, dressed as she'd never seen him. A trench coat like jacket draped his shoulders reaching to mid-calf, deep grey in color it was trimmed with a slim line of orange. Matching hakama pants covered his long legs. She stared at the gap that his pullover white shirt made at his throat.

She didn't snap out of her daze until he was almost directly in front of her, his gaze moving from the top of her head to the floor and back up again.

When he looked back into her face his eyes twinkled. "Looking good Temari."

She wore a kimono, as was traditional for the females in the family of the Kazekage, her hair pulled back from her face and held in place with decorative combs.

"I would say the same but the orange killed it for me," she said in an attempt to keep up the light banter that they had established ever since he'd arrived.

"Maaaah Mari-chan the orange is the best part! Otherwise I'd look like any other dressed up fool there," Naruto said, pulling the sides of the jacket apart and looking down at himself.

Kankuro rolled his eyes at their antics before saying, "Naruto you'd stand out in the dark with that hair and the orange."

"Oh good, that's exactly what I was going for," said the blond with a huge grin.

Temari shook her head at his antics before saying, "Well it looks like we're all ready. Where's Sakura?"

Kankuro rolled his eyes before grumbling, "She's been putting her face on for the last hour." He turned towards the hall before shouting, "Oi, Pink! If you keep dolling yourself up I'm going to be tasting your concealer for a week, get a move on!"

A door could be heard opening then closing with a sharp slam and Sakura made her way down the hall with pout aimed at her boyfriend, "What're you yelling about? I've been ready and waiting for all of you!"

Kankuro pushed off of the wall and snickered, "Oh sure, that's the truth." Leaning over to Naruto he continued, "She acts as if anyone would care what blush she uses. I'm already going to have a hard time shooing away all the old lechers at this thing as it is."

Naruto chuckled at his teammate's expense, laughing outright as Kankuro made a dash out the door with his vexed girlfriend close on his heels.

_It's going to be a fun night with these three. _Temari thought as she absently reached for the door to follow the couple out. When her hand bumped against Naruto's as they reached the handle together she looked up and right into bright blue eyes. They stood there looking at each other, their bodies close enough for her to feel his breath wash across her face.

She felt his fingers grip hers slightly and only then realized that she had closed her hand over his while she was lost in the moment. It was enough to snap her back to reality and she quickly pulled away.

"Ah..um, I guess we better get going. We're running a bit late as it is and we need to make sure Kankuro gets there in at least two pieces."

"…Right! Right, let's get out of here. I'm starving anyway," Naruto said, waving her through the door and turning to secure it.

For a moment…Temari could have sworn that Naruto was just as affected by those few seconds as she was. Looking up into his smiling face as they made their way out of the building, however, Temari dismissed the thought.

She made it through the main door of the building in time to hear Naruto say, "Well you two seem to have made up."

Looking around the big blond she could see Kankuro with his arms wrapped around a blushing Sakura, "She can't stay mad at me for long, it's the charm."

With a huff Sakura shoved herself away, "Please, I just don't want to have to deal with you being a sourpuss through dinner."

Temari snorted, "Kami, you two are like an old married couple." She began the walk to the Kazekage tower as two squawks of indignation sounded behind her.

As they walked through the village, Temari began to relax for the first time in what seemed like a very long time. She didn't question why that was, only enjoyed the walk before they were surrounded by stuffy formalities.

She glanced over to see that Kankuro and Sakura were busy talking quietly together so she deliberately slowed her pace, hoping that Naruto would take the hint and let the couple get ahead of them. When he immediately caught on and matched his steps to hers she took a cleansing breathe and thought about how she would word what she had to say.

"Naruto…I've been trying to find a time to talk with you…without any distractions. I think we may be overdue for one." Turning her head slightly, Temari watched him for a reaction.

Stretching his arms above his head, Naruto looked up at the darkening sky before settling his hands behind his head and turning it slightly to look at her, "I think you may be right. And I think it may have to wait until all the hoopla has died down, but I'd like it to be as soon as possible."

Temari smiled at him as they continued forward, "Too bad the council wanted this to happen as soon as you guys got here. It would have been nice to just relax for a day or two before all the ceremony."

"True, but then it will be great to have it out of the way first thing."

"Oh I'm sure there will be more to come, thankfully though this first one is the most important. After this we can make a quick exit after the speeches." Temari grinned at him.

"Is that what you guys usually do? I can see Kankuro doing that but you Mari-chan?"

She blushed at the exaggerated surprise in his voice, "Well after a lifetime of events like these it gets repetitive, and I fully blame Kankuro for getting me into that habit."

He chuckled at that, "I doubt he had to coax you very hard. And from the looks of those two, I don't think he's going to care much how important this shindig is. If they're still there an hour after the last speech I will be surprised."

"Ha, I give them half an hour before he convinces her to leave."

Naruto looked at her in speculation, "I think she will hold out longer than that. Tell you what if they're gone before half an hour passes lunch will be on me tomorrow."

Smiling smugly Temari nodded, "You're on. If they're still there after half an hour I'll pay."

With the deal sealed a comfortable silence fell between them and Temari took the time to watch her brother interact with his girlfriend. Four years ago she would have never thought that her brother would find someone that would settle him down like Sakura had, especially with the distance that kept them apart more often than not.

But there they were, three years together and as good for each other as any sister could ask for her brother. Hell even when they argued and she could see that her brother longed to be with his lover she couldn't fault the relationship. It was kind of cute, although if she said that to his face she was sure he'd be as embarrassed as could be possible.

Now the thought of them not being together was foreign. She admired the couple that they made, Kankuro in his black hakama pants with a mesh shirt under an open collared black dress shirt; a high collared cloak that reached to just above his knees setting off the outfit with flashes of the red inner lining. With his face free of the Kabuki paint and his hair uncovered Temari thought she was totally unbiased in saying that he was a very handsome man.

And Sakura, somehow managing to look deadly and lovely at the same time, matched him well. Her pink hair, contrasting surprisingly well with his brown, was pulled back and up into buns that were held in place with what Temari was sure were decorative senbon. Her dress was full length, a high collar that was open in the front and lead to three small fastenings, with slits high up her thighs that Temari knew were more for mobility than to attract attention. The influence of her master was evident in the coat that she wore which was almost identical to the Hokages, the only difference being that Sakura's was black to accent the deep red of her dress.

They really were a striking pair and no matter how many times she saw them together it was a small surprise each time.

Watching the way they kept each other close as they walked, Temari smirked.

_I think I have a pretty damn good shot at a free lunch tomorrow._

~O~

She had barely managed to stifle a groan of boredom when she felt Naruto lean in close to her, "With each new speaker the urge to shove a chopstick down their throat gets bigger and bigger."

Temari grinned at the mental image of an overly dramatic Naruto screaming bloody murder before lunging at the platform in the middle of the room. "It's going to get even worse now with this guy, somehow he always manages to give a speech at functions and is the most boring man alive. I think I've heard more about him than I have about any possible topic that he could address in the last five or so years."

Naruto drew back and reclined into his seat, "Great, one of _those _types. All I want is some food but noooo, there's always a price." Naruto grumbled more to himself than anyone else, but Temari heard him anyway and it took some effort not to laugh out loud at the whining quality to his voice.

Five minutes later the speaker left the platform to enthusiastic applause; Temari was fairly sure that it was more out of gratitude that the speech was over and they could eat than anything the man could have possibly said.

Twenty five minutes later, after some small talk and fast eating, Kankuro left the table saying he needed to speak with his brother. Less than two minutes after that Sakura excused herself to the restroom and Temari couldn't help but smile smugly at Naruto when he noticed that Kankuro was heading for the door.

Unable to resist Temari leaned in close to the scowling man, "Twenty seven minutes, looks like I get some lunch tomorrow."

Naruto growled softly, "Yeah, yeah. Sheesh they couldn't hold it for three minutes, at least eat some dessert or something."

With a covered snort, Temari turned back to the woman to her left and joined the conversation around the table.

~O~

The trip from the tower to the apartment a few blocks away was a blur for Sakura. All she could think about were the hands that couldn't seem to stop caressing her body. It had been so long since they had seen each other last that she was surprised he had lasted until now before whisking her away somewhere.

Now was the perfect time, their obligations for the day were done and they had hours until morning. That might be enough time for them to appropriately reacquaint themselves. If it wasn't, there was always the next night and the night after that. It still thrilled her, even though she had known about this mission for a month, that she would spend so much time with her painted lover.

They reached the apartment and Sakura barely got the door open before Kankuro had her in his arms, kicking the door closed behind him and carrying her the short distance to the couch. He laid her down on it and followed, laying his body on hers and running kisses over her face.

"I've been looking forward to this since I found out you were part of this mission."

"Two and a half months Pink. Do you know how many hours are in two and a half months, especially on a cold desert night alone, in bed?" Kankuro mumbled against her neck as he nuzzled there, breathing in her sent as he wrapped his arms more firmly around her.

Sakura chuckled softly as she tilted her head to the side, "Mmm. I imagine it's about as many hours as there are in the breezy forest especially at night, alone, in bed."

Kankuro grinned against her jaw before nibbling the spot softly. He shifted their positions, moving to lay her down along the sofa in the apartment she and Naruto would share during their stay in Suna. Deciding that there was a better place to do what he wanted, he strengthened his grip around her hips and lifted her up from her prone position on the sofa. "Let's go somewhere with a little more room to…work," Kankuro said with a heavy eyed look.

Boosting herself up to wrap her legs around his waist Sakura didn't bother to respond, she simply pulled the jacket away from his shoulder taking the shirt with it before attaching her lips there.

When they reached the door to her room, Kankuro cupped her bottom with one hand fumbling without looking for the handle and shoving it open. He booted it shut before pressing her against the wall right next to it, capturing her lips with his as he worked his hands between their bodies to begin pulling her shirt up.

At the feel of those callous fingers skimming over her sides, one of her more sensitive areas, Sakura broke their kiss, tossing her head back on a moan. She licked her lips, tasting him there and groaning at tasting him again after so much time apart. Her hands began to move quickly to pull at his cloths, but before she could get to touch the skin she loved so much her wrists were clasped and chained by strong fingers above her head.

"Ah ah pinky, no touching," he smirked seductively at the pout forming on her red lips before sliding the fingers of his free hand along her cheek. "I need to make sure I haven't forgotten anything since the last time I saw you."

Before she could think of a coherent response to that statement, Sakura found herself stripped to the skin and being pressed against the wall again. She could do nothing but sigh as surprisingly soft lips trailed down her body, making brief stops at each breast as if in welcome before continuing down to nip at her taut belly.

Kankuro paused there a moment, rubbing his lips across her stomach before flicking at her bellybutton, smiling at the shiver that ran through her.

"You know, I think one of the things fading from my memory just might be how you taste. That doesn't seem right now does it? I have a vague recollection of you tasting pretty good, I can't be sure though. What do you say we test that memory?"

Sakura could do no more than shift restlessly as those strong hands slid up her sides, caressing her before coming back down to the backs of her knees. She gasped softly in surprise when he lifted her higher up the wall, moving her thighs to rest on his wide shoulders as he placed soft kisses up them towards her center.

Kankuro hummed softly in pleasure when slender fingers found their way into his hair, massaging softly and pulling him closer to his destination. He pulled back slightly, resisting the fingers to just look at her for a moment. A small patch of pink hair sat at the top of her dripping sex, puffy lips waiting for his touch. Unable to hold himself back anymore, he swept his tongue from the bottom of her sex to the top, savoring her taste. He heard her breath hitch as her fingers tightened on his hair. This was one of his favorite things to do to his pink haired love; that he could make this strong fierce woman dissolve into a puddle at his touch fed him. He could, and had, spend hours lapping at her tracing her shape with his tongue, sucking on her clitoris.

"Kami, Kuro I don't think I'll be able to last long if you keep this up," Sakura panted out, hunching over slightly as he gave a particularly enthusiastic pull of her clit. "Fuuuuuck Kankuro! I need you too much, come to me!"

He could feel her desperation and it added to his own, driving him to his feet as he picked her up again and all but dropped her on the bed.

Sakura couldn't stop her thighs from rubbing together as she watched her lover quickly strip out of his clothing. She came to an abrupt halt then sprung up from the bed however when he pulled his shirt over his head and she saw the left side of his torso. There was a fresh jagged scar running from the middle of his side to just above the waistband of his pants.

"Kuro….what happened?" She asked laying her hand gently against the worst of the scar and looking into his face.

He could see the worry in her eyes and cupped her face, "I got a little careless on a mission a couple weeks ago. It's fine now, another scar to add to the collection and make girls sigh in admiration." He said, trying to make light of it. He knew it didn't work though and kissed her softly then laid his forehead against hers when he felt the warmth of her chakra against his side.

Focused on making sure that he really was ok Sakura ran her left hand up to rest on his chest, feeling his heart beat, still pounding from their previous activities. "You need to tell me things like this Kuro-kun. I know you don't tell me things like this to protect me but I'm a medic remember? I can take it and I want to know what happens to you."

He sighed when he felt her finish, pulling her close to him and rocking with her softly. "I'll tell you babe, relax."

"Good," she said and kissed his chest before running her hands down to push the pants that he had undone down his hips, "Now where were we?"

Kankuro stepped out of his pants, lifting her again to place her more gently on the bed. He settled himself against her, loving the feel of her skin against his. They held there for a moment, kissing and rubbing together, their cores firmly touching. With a murmur Kankuro changed the angle of his rotating hips, slipping inside of her smoothly.

Sakura wound her arms around his shoulders, slipping easily into their rhythm. It had seemed like ages ago when they were last able to come together like this, without rushing just able to wallow in sensations.

Her hand glided over his back, coming up to his shoulder to run gently, "Hmm, the last time I saw you I left my mark here. Looks like it's gone now, we're gonna have to fix that." So saying she applied her lips and teeth to that muscular shoulder, biting and sucking hard to make sure her claim would be there to last.

The feel of her wrapping around him tightly, arms and legs linked as she worked to leave her physical declaration on him, brought back the desperation that was interrupted by her concern for him. His hips drove against her harder and deeper as he unconsciously left his own mark on her, not were others could see, that mark would come later, but where only he would know.

She grunted sharply at a particularly forceful thrust, biting down harder than before in retaliation before giving the mark one final lick. Looking up at him, she gave a deliberately sensual swirl of her hips that pulled a heartfelt groan from him.

Kankuro halted his motion, levering up onto his knees and detaching her legs from his waist. Careful to keep their bodies joined, he reached for a pillow at the head of the bed and lifting her hips set the pillow beneath her to give them a new angle. Watching her through half closed eyes he hooked her legs over his arms before leaning over her, placing his palms on the bed beside her.

Knowing what was in store for her, Sakura reached above her head to grab hold of the sheets and arched her back as her lover began deep powerful strokes that brought him to her womb and left her trembling.

He could feel the tension building in his lover's body and he was glad, he didn't think he could last much longer himself. Kankuro resettled himself and sped up his strokes, angling and searching until Sakura gave a slight squeak and he knew he'd found the spot that would drive her right over the edge. The very next stroke was enough and Sakura half groaned half screamed as she exploded, her muscles squeezing him tightly, milking him of the orgasm that hit him right after her own.

His arms gave out on him and Kankuro's body dropped down to cover hers, pulling grunts from them both before they settled to enjoy the sensations.

When she began to shift minutely beneath him, a signal he had learned meant that his weight was becoming a bit much for her, he slowly flipped them over settling on his back with a sigh that Sakura echoed.

The silence that followed was peaceful as they relished in their closeness.

Kankuro watched the lights of sunset dance across the ceiling as he ran his hands along her back, "Well that took care of one fading memory of mine. When do you want to start working on the next?"

Sakura's head came up as she looked at him in exasperation before breaking out into giggles at the leering look he gave her.

"Don't change Kuro-kun."

~O~

A couple of hours later, Naruto reached to unlock the door to the apartment only to have it open soundlessly. He shook his head, opening the door wide and stepping into the living room. He couldn't help but grin when he saw the pillows on the couch on the floor and a jacket in the entrance of the hallway leading back to the rooms.

He paused for a moment and in the silence of the room sounds drifted to him from deeper in the apartment; the unmistakable sounds of rhythmically moving furniture and two people thoroughly enjoying themselves. Having just spent a long day traveling through the desert, setting up house and rubbing elbows with the "important people" of Suna, Naruto didn't think he wanted his sleep disturbed by his neighbors' activity.

With that decision made Naruto headed back out of the apartment, making sure to actually lock the door for the inhabitants, and headed in the direction of the Kaze no Uchi.

It had been an entertaining day all in all. There was no doubt that he enjoyed being in Suna and there was the added benefit of seeing Temari again. The only down note was his relationship with her. As much as she tried to act as if nothing was wrong, Naruto knew that she was confused and still hurt by his attitude the last time they had seen each other in Konoha and he couldn't blame her.

There he was at a bar with a group of friends, most of who were paired off, except for the dedicated bachelors, playing escort to a woman who at one time was just the sibling of a good friend. But looking at the woman she had become suddenly brought on that feeling that he had been looking for without realizing it. With that realization came an attack of nerves; he was as shocked by the feeling as he was by the nervousness that it brought with it. But there at the bar, after talking for who knows how long, he finally got his confidence back and felt comfortable enough to at least breach the strictly platonic conversation they had been having. But then a misunderstanding on his part coupled with a quick exit of his usual confidence yet again, made him jump to conclusions. It made him assume something that wasn't true and he reacted badly to his own assumption and took it out on Temari.

Naruto planned on doing everything he could to correct his mistake, soon. He couldn't imagine Temari being patient enough to wait long before asking him about it. If fact it seemed as though she wanted to do just that the whole day, tomorrow was another story.

By this point he had reached the house, well mansion, of the Sand siblings. There were a few lights on, which meant he wouldn't be getting anyone out of bed to ask for a place to sleep. Although the thought of waking Temari up and seeing what she slept in wasn't a bad one.

Naruto chuckled to himself as he knocked on the door and waited for a response. Not long after he heard footsteps coming towards him before the door opened to reveal Gaara.

Seeing who it was on his front step Gaara raised his brow, "Naruto, if you're here to steal my Kage hat to make one for yourself I have to say no."

"Hah, I'm just glad that the power has livened you up, Gaara. And no, I was going to just take it off your head when you were snoozing on duty"

Gaaras lips twitched slightly as he stepped back to let his friend in. "What brings you over here? Get locked out of the apartment already?"

Sighing lightly as he kicked his shoes off at the entrance Naruto replied, "Well, thanks to your brother and my teammate, I figured vacating the acoustically-friendly apartment and giving them some alone time was savvy."

"Hm. They managed to make it through the stuffy speeches. Come in. This maze of mine has plenty of room"

"Thanks Gaara, I'm sure I would be asleep by now if it weren't for the enthusiastic welcome Sakura was getting."

"I can imagine it's been a long day for you both, she just has other things distracting her from her exhaustion. Since it's my brothers fault that you've been kicked out of your own apartment on your first night here you can stay in the family wing, it has nicer beds. The other wing I keep for the diplomats and honored guests I have to put up with, there accommodations are far below their usual standards." Naruto couldn't help but snort and the evilly amused look on his friends face.

"It's not like they couldn't just walk over to your wing and ask for a better room." Naruto said as they reached a set of doors.

Pushing the doors open Gaara smirked a bit bigger than usual, "They couldn't find it. The other wing is designed to literally confuse the people staying there; you couldn't really find your way around without an escort. I'll let you get your rest; we can talk more in the morning."

Naruto clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past, "I'll see you in the morning then."

"Sleep well." Gaara said as he closed the door.

~O~

The first thing Temari did when she woke up in the morning was stretch out her muscles and bury her head farther under the pillow. She always hated mornings after some political function, the sheer boredom usually exhausted her more than any training could and left her feeling lazy the next morning. But like usual, she couldn't laze away the morning; she had to be up and ready for whenever Naruto and Sakura wanted to start the day.

Sighing softly in regret she sat up in bed, flipping her hair up out of her face. She slid out of bed, stretching again on her way out the door to the bathroom. Because she wasn't paying much attention she almost ran solidly into something that wasn't usually in the hallway at that hour.

Glancing up Temari blinked in surprise when she came face to face with a bare chested and smiling Naruto. "You're a few hours early for that lunch you own me."

When he only grinned harder Temari eyed him narrowly, "What are you so cheesy about this morning?"

Naruto could only glance very deliberately at the top of her head. Not really understanding she reached a hand up only to realize that her hair was sticking almost straight up into the air at the top.

"Well that's a perfect start to the day."


End file.
